The Thinking Blog ~ Knowledge Grows When Shared

The original Mini is considered an icon of the 1960s. In the international poll for the award of the world's most influential car of the twentieth century the Mini came second only to the Ford Model T. When production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW, the new owner of the brand, announced its successor – the New MINI (written in capital letters).

Some Mini enthusiasts reject the claim that the MINI as the natural successor of the original car - others simply dislike it - yet others were amongst the first to buy the new MINI when it was launched. There are many reasons offered for the negative point of view. One notion is that the classic Mini could have continued in viable production for many more years had it not been 'killed off' to make way for the MINI. The new MINI is larger than the classic Mini. It is around 55 cm longer, 30 cm wider, weighing 1050 kg rather than 650 kg. That, together with the departure from the spartan minimalism of the original, has proven objectionable to some enthusiasts. Others resent the manner in which BMW took the Mini brand name from the Rover group. However, many Mini owners take the opposite view and embrace the new car as a logical succession of the original and view it as the only way the concept could have continued in the light of modern safety, emissions and manufacturing principles. Some Mini clubs go so far as to ban MINIs from their club meetings - others actively seek car enthusiasts from both camps. This spectrum of attitudes has been noted with other retro-car releases such as the Volkswagen Beetle and is far from being unique to the Mini community.

Here is the brand new TV spot of the MINI Cooper with a movie trailer-like style to it. Hammer and Coop looks so good, I wished it was a real movie!